Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The first track to appear from Dr. John's new album Locked Down (out April 3) that the New Orleans icon recorded in collaboration with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach is the Farfisa-backed cooker Revolution.

Just as interesting as the unusually overt political commentary from the artist formerly known as Mac Rebennack is the way in which the horns, drums and wheezing organ are used to create a throwback Ethiopian groove. If it wasn't for Dr. John's familiar growl, you could easily mistake Revolution for a late 60s Mulatu Asatatke joint straight outta Addis Ababa. Looking forward to hearing if that sneaky Auerbach tries to incorporate some Girma Bèyènè and Mahmoud Ahmed moves on the other tracks. Listen to Revolution right here.

Initially slated for March, Spiritualized's much anticipated seventh album Sweet Heart Sweet Light is now set for release on April 16, just prior to their return to Toronto for a show at The Phoenix May 5. The fantastic first single Hey Jane a promising indication that Jason Pierce and crew have been building something immense over the last three years. Check it out:

If you're heading to Austin for SXSW 2012, you might wanna drop by Trailer Space Records (1401 Rosewood Ave. at Angelina in East Austin) on Saturday afternoon for the annual Trouble In Mind showcase which is stacked as usual. Hex Dispensers launch the festivities at 12 noon... check out the killer line-up:

In other Trouble In Mind news, the label has something special planned for Record Store Day on April 21. Yes, once again it's another limited edition split seven-inch with four TIM artists covering songs they love but this year's model promises more to get excited about.

Orange County heartthrob Mikal Cronin starts things off with a bang with his woozy, infectious cover of "I Enjoy Being A Boy", written by bubblegum songsmith Joey Levine for the soundtrack of 60s Saturday morning kids show The Banana Splits. Not to be outdone, Bloomington, IN’s Apache Dropout crack open a can o' bees with their sinister version of Harry Nilsson’s "Cuddly Toy". Flip this bad-boy over & you’ll be greeted by the warm embrace of The Paperhead’s take on "Stacey Grove", a Tyrannosaurus Rex cut from their debut album. We say "adieu" with a heady translation of The Troggs tune "Come Now" (literally translated into French as "Tu es à moi") fuzzed out to the max by Perpignan, France's The Limiñanas! Each copy comes pressed on white vinyl, is housed in a beautiful METALLIC SEAFOAM edition of the Trouble In Mind factory sleeve, & is hand-numbered & strictly limited to 1000 copies.

In keeping with the spirit of Record Store Day, the new Trouble In Mind 4-song EP will only be available via indie record retailers – no mailorder! So if your local shop didn't order it last year, you might suggest they get in touch with Carrot Top Distribution (email: adam@ctdltd.com) to reserve copies now.

The next three TIM singles are pressed and ready to go:

TIM033 - The Resonars - Long Long Thoughts 4-Song EP
Is it possible that the energy and genius created by the entire membership of The Hollies, The Move and The Who could be embodied in one guy living in Arizona? You just might start to believe it after giving this 7-inch a spin. Matt Rendon is the one man hit machine behind the Resonars, writing & recording every instrument & singing every note all by his lonesome. This 4-song EP represents his first collection of new material in almost three years, after releases on Get Hip, Star Time & Burger Records, focusing his paisley-tinted vision with one ear in the past & his eyes on the future. These tracks hit the sweet-spot between the bittersweet harmonies you love about “Evolution” era Allan Clarke and Graham Nash with the triumphant guitar and off-the-chain drum fills of a “Who Sell Out”-era Pete Townshend and Keith Moon. You’ll be hooked from the first La’s of “Long Long Thoughts” till the last faded notes of “Stumbling On Stones.” HOO BOY, you’re going to need a new needle after you get through with this one - sorry ‘bout that. The first edition of 500 copies is housed in the Trouble In Mind factory sleeve, comes pressed on randomly mixed vinyl & includes a download code!

TIM034 The Paperhead - Pictures of Her Demise b/w She Is Above Me
Not quite all grown up yet, Nashville wunderkinds The Paperhead return with a single that shows that these boys are maturing musically by the hour. Not only have Ryan, Peter and Walker absolutely mastered their 8-track recording skills, with the A-Side, “Pictures Of Her Demise” they’ve honed in on a thrilling synthesis of their influences. From Pink Floyd to The (Dutch) Outsiders, or Q65 and The Golden Dawn, they’ve added a dash more dandy flair a’la Rainbow Ffolly or Jason Crest. “She Is Above Me” taps into some prime “moustache-era” Beatles, resting comfortably in a Strawberry Field while a lysergic carousel whirls around & drops tab after tab of ‘Blue Sunshine’ on your tongue. All hyperbole aside, the arrangements are more intricate and these lads are continuing to be at the head of the class when it comes to the idea that psychedelic music isn’t always about indulgence - there is a simplicity and beauty in the careful construction of a song. The first edition of 500 copies is pressed on randomly mixed vinyl, includes a download code, & comes housed in a glossy, U.K.-style picture sleeve!

TIM036 - Wrong Words - I Will Change Your Mind b/w How To Keep A Straight Face
One of our absolute favorite bands is back with a killer new single! This two-songer is the perfect follow-up to their TIM debut LP from last March. All the elements are here that made their full-length so great; the guitar work, thumping bass and drums, great lyrics, and the same one-two, eff-you pop-punch. “I Will Change Your Mind” has singer / guitarist Josh Miller hitting some new highs not only in guitar riff-ery but hitting those vocal high notes like he is some kind of power-pop Rob Halford ~ it’s a real rollercoaster of a tune, that takes the listener on a journey through the melodic vocabulary of folks like Roy Wood, Nick Lowe & Paul Collins without losing their own personal voice. The flip, ‘How To Keep A Straight Face’ kicks open the door & stomps in with a killer riff & some down and dirty wah-wah action, before smartly swaying into a great laid back northern California-cool melodic feel not-unlike Boz Scaggs jamming with the Barracudas. A terrific teaser for what’s on the horizon from this trio! The first edition of 500 copies is housed in the Trouble In Mind factory sleeve, comes pressed on randomly mixed vinyl & includes a download code!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Since Milan's cinematic funk combo Calibro 35 recorded their dope new album Ogni Riferimento a Persone Esistenti o a Fatti Realmente Accaduti è Puramente Casuale with producer Tommaso Colliva at Brooklyn Recording and Mission Sound in New York, they decided they should preview the February 7 release with an appropriate promo clip. When in Little Italy...

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Wondering what a calypso band is doing at an Ethiopian restaurant on the Danforth Sunday evenings? Well if that combo is Brodie West's all-star ensemble Eucalyptus, then probably having a good time getting down with friends. And since his pals happen to be some of the Toronto improv scene's top hands, namely trum­peter Nicole Ram­per­saud, gui­tarist Alex Luka­shevsky, bassist Michael Smith, pianist Ryan Driver, drummer Nick Fraser and per­cus­sion­ist Blake Howard, you can count on a lively blast of Afro-Caribbean flava to go with your tasty zilzil tibs at Hirut (2050 Danforth at Woodbine) between 7 and 9 pm.

To coincide with The Ettes' blast through Austin for SXSW, a seven-inch single of "Teeth" has been pressed up with the moody opener from their excellent Wicked Will album (#75 on our Top 100 Albums of 2011) backed by the previously unreleased "Safety Down The Road." It's limited to 700 copies on three colors with 175 copies on red wax, 175 on gold and 350 copies on black available from the band at their shows (see below). Those who aren't planning on spending their Spring Break in Texas can mailorder a copy of Teeth here.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

In a risky bid to broaden his appeal, Truth & Soul's resident godfather of funk Lee Fields has decided to sidestep the pounding dancefloor fodder on his new album Faithful Man (out March 13) which focuses instead on string-sweetened deep soul ballads. The move away from knocking out straight up funk burners towards a more moody-mellow aesthetic has been evident in Fields' releases over the past couple of years. But whereas recent slow-jams like Honey Dove from 2009's My World once came backed with a head-nodding bump, he'd now prefers softly crooning waltz-time numbers over a soft cushion of violins. It says a lot that the album's standout track, Walk On Through That Door has been buried at the end, as if reluctantly tacked on as an afterthought because another song was needed.

As part of the 2012 NuFunk Festival, in collaboration with Do Right! Music, jazz sensation José James will play the Great Hall on Friday March 2.

The supremely soulful Minneapolis-born singer combines a deep knowledge of the jazz tradition with a b-boy's respect for hip hop culture (check his creative reinvention of Freestyle Fellowship's Park Bench People below) for a spiritually potent sound all his own. Undeterred by the lack of support from commercial radio and the woefully out-of-touch mainstream jazz media, James steadily built a global following with stellar festival performances, sold-out club dates and profile-raising collaborations with McCoy Tyner, Jazzanova, Chico Hamilton, Nicola Conte, Wynton Marsalis, Flying Lotus, The Heritage Orchestra, Christian McBride, Toshio Matsuura, Simbad and Robert Mitchell.

While James'superb swing through the standards on 2010's For All We Know (Impulse!) served notice to the jazz establishment that the promising young baritone had serious chops, the next album could be the topper. As such, James' return to Toronto to preview material for his forthcoming release No Beginning, No End will make his show at the Great Hall (1087 Queen West) a major event.

Tickets are $20 advance and available at Play De Record (357A Yonge), Soundscapes (572 College) and Rotate This (801 Queen West).

Tru Thoughts labelmates Alice Russell and Will "Quantic" Holland have teamed up for a new album entitled Look Around The Corner which is set for release on April 3. The lead off single is the beautifully uplifting title track which recalls Minnie Ripperton's classic Rotary Connection recordings produced and arranged by the late great Charles Stepney. But knowing Quantic, he'd likely say that he was actually thinking more along the lines of Ripperton's 1971 solo debut Come To My Garden instead.

If the rest of the album is anything like the stellar live version of Look Around The Corner recorded for the video (below) – filmed by videograper, photographer and noted vinyl hound Brian "B+" Cross – this new collabo with Combo Bárbaro could be exactly what Russell (and Quantic) needs to break beyond the deep funk cult and start ringing up some Adele-level sales. Here's hoping.

Get the limited-run 10" vinyl single on Fat Beatshere or just grab a digital download of the track here.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Watching Jeremy Lin's astonishing out-of-the-blocks run with the Knicks has left some people wondering whether the buzzer-beating rookie could be the NBA's Tim Tebow. If what's on Lin's iPod is any indication, the answer is Yahweh!

Believe it or not, the York Hotel – a somewhat seedy neighborhood pub in London, Ontario – which regularly played host to traditional country and folk acts also spawned two of Canada's greatest contributions to the musical avant garde: the Nihilist Spasm Band and the London Experimental Jazz Quartet. The CFPL-TV documentary Reunion At The York, featuring insightful commentary from Eric Stach of the LEJQ intercut with brief flashes of brilliant archival footage, sheds light on London's strange cultural blip in the late 60s that would be heard around the world.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Here's a behind-the-scenes clip of Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives backstage at The Ryman ripping through "Tear the Woodpile Down" which is the title track on his forthcoming album Nashville Vo1. 1: Tear the Wood Pile Down (Sugar Hill) set for release on April 24.
Seems like it'll be more of a bluegrass-inspired concept this time around – or at least old school country – as the acoustic guitar on the cover suggests. Says Stuart: “When I first came to Nashville, the most outlaw thing you could possibly do around here was to take country music and blow it up into rock & roll. Mission accomplished! Today, the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville, Tennessee is play country music." Fair enough. But why he's posing with a tiger cub on a leash only Marty and his hairdresser know for sure. Must be a Music City thing.

Here's a lost classic from the Boston underground post-punk scene of 1980. The 2x4's were led by John Hovorka, Jr. who came up with the delightfully quirky A-side Bridgeport Lathe enhanced by some sweet electronic sizzle (courtesy of Erik Lindgren and producer Rolfe Anderson) favourably recalling that of their Cleveland contemporaries Pere Ubu. Sadly, the self-released seven on the Bessemer Process label was a one-off as The 2x4's would soon evolve into Noise Pencil and eventually The Turbines.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The highly sought-after 1975 album Body Music was recorded and released by Afro Funk, a relatively obscure band of West African ex-pats living in the UK. London already had a vibrant African music scene by the time Osibisa started to cross-over which brought to England another wave of aspiring African musicians with dreams of international stardom.

Unfortunately, Afro Funk's Body Music recording proved to be a little too raw and rootsy to click at the time and the promising debut LP became the group's tombstone. However, in the years since, Body Music's hard driving jams have made it a prized collectible, drawing huge sums from jet-setting European club DJs willing to pay a premium for a slightly different take on Fela Kuti's brand of highly politicized Afrobeat to keep dancefloors filled. Obanya Special by Afro Funk

After its small private press release in London on Kabana Records, Body Music was also released in extremely limited quantities by Kojo Asare's Chairman Records in Ghana. Despite the well-crafted mix of various West-African styles and American funk, without the support of a major label it quickly vanished. Today copies rarely surface and when they do, you can expect to pay in the mid three-figures and up. So it's very good news that Secret Stash is reissuing this tough-to-find classic on vinyl (including a digital download card). There's a limited 200-copy numbered pressing on blue and white splash wax housed in a screen-printed sleeve now available for pre-order exclusively from the Secret Stash site.Note: All of Secret Stash's prior pre-order exclusives have sold out in a flash so grab it while you can.

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